Assault on Fort Khalaam

And finally, a week after it occurred, here is the report on the Assault on Fort Khalaam, which I ran at our regional convention, Bayou Wars. The game pitted an Anglo-Indian field force against a Pathan-like tribe called the Haddabiera. We used The Sword and the Flame rules, 20th Anniversary Edition, by Larry Brom. [As usual, please click on the photos for larger versions.]

Convention booklet cover

The Opposing Forces:

Khalaam Field Force (Anglo-Indian)

Commander with escort (one hussar and one lancer)

One company of 93rd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (company commander, color sergeant, and two 20-figure platoons)

One company of 30th Punjabi Infantry Regiment (company commander, company havildar major, and two 20-figure platoons)

One platoon of 5th Ghurkha Rifles (20 figures)

Cavalry commander (major of the 10th Hussars)

One troop of 10th Hussar Regiment (12 figures)

One troop of 10th Bengal Lancer Regiment (12 figures)

One battery of Royal Artillery (battery commander, 12 gunners, and 3 guns)

One battery of Indian mountain artillery (battery commander, 12 gunners, and 3 guns)

The commanders of this fine Anglo-Indian force were:

(from left) Jonathan Shushan (Highlanders), Jay Stribling (overall commander and Indians), and Duane Guilbeau (cavalry and Ghurkhas)

The Haddabiera tribe had gathered warriors from near and far, even dipping into the Royal Aooghastan Army for a unit.

Emir Tubeir and his personal banner bearer

Black Leopard Clan (clan leader, two 20-figure rifle units, one 20-figure spear/sword unit)

Silver Fox Clan (clan leader, two 20-figure rifle units, one 20-figure spear/sword unit)

Soaring Hawk Clan (clan leader, two 20-figure spear/sword units)

Cavalry commander

Emir's Bodyguard (12-figure rifle armed cavalry unit)

Royal Aooghastan cavalry troop (12-figure carbine armed cavalry)

two guns (one modern with four gunners and one ancient with 4 gunners) [The Haddabiera were aided by an artillery advisor from the Khan of the Steppes (the Russian Tsar), one Ivan Skavinsky Skavar (one version of the poem "Abdul Abulbul Amir"). As long as he stayed with the modern gun, it would never have to roll to see if it could fire.]

Commanding these valiant warriors were:

(from left) Paul Arceneaux (Silver Fox clan), Larry Reeves (overall commander and cavalry), Josh Switzer (Soaring Hawk clan), and Larry Brom (Black Leopard clan)
[P.S. The special t-shirt Larry Brom is wearing commemorates the 30th Anniversary of The Sword and the Flame and can be ordered from Sergeants3.]

As you can see, I was honored with the participation of the rules author, Larry Brom (far right in above picture), who ably defended the Fort of Khalaam until late in the game when he was called away. Josh Switzer then took over his command.

Jay Stribling (my college room mate and long time wargaming buddy), Larry Reeves, and Josh Switzer are all members of our Jackson Gamers group.

The objective of the Khalaam Field Force was to take and destroy the Haddabiera hill fortress at Khalaam (pictured below) and destroy the ability of the Haddabiera to threaten the peace and stability of the Vale of Khalaam and the rest of the North Central Frontier of Aooghastan. The Haddabiera's objective was defend the fort and to kill as many of the infidel British and idolater Indians as possible.

The Hill Fort of Khalaam, garrisoned by a rifle armed unit (20 figures) from the Black Leopard clan. The Emir Tubeir and his personal banner bearer were also in the fort.

The Field Force started all set-up on the battlefield, with the Highlanders and the Royal Artillery on the right facing the fort, the Indians (infantry and artillery) occupying the village of Khalaam in the center, and the cavalry and the Ghurkhas on the left flank facing the Watchtower Hill.

Highland Company skirmish line facing the fort.

The Haddabiera started the game with one unit from each of the four commands hidden in concealing terrain, a unit of the Black Leopard clan in the fort, and both guns hidden in concealing terrain. All the other units would enter as reinforcements on Turns One and Two as the movement cards were drawn.

The troop of Bengal Lancers sends out scouts who discover a force of Haddabiera on the slopes of Watchtower Hill.

Visibility into concealing terrain could only be declared by the Anglo-Indians when they were within 6" (~150mm) of the concealing terrain. The Haddabiera had to deploy their unit at that time. The Haddabera would also be deployed if they opened fire on the Anglo-Indians, which is how the guns were discovered.

The Indian company was deployed within and to the left of the village of Khalaam with their artillery on the far side of the village (and mostly hidden behind the far left building). In the far distance is the battery of Royal Artillery on Gun Hill behind siege gabions.

The Royal Artillery and, for one turn, the Indian artillery concentrated on breaching the near wall of the fort. The Indian infantry in the center and the cavalry and Ghurkhas on the left skirmished with the opposing Haddabiera in an effort to whittle down their numbers and to interrupt the flow of reinforcements towards the fort. The Highlanders kept the fort's defenders suppressed, discovered and destroyed a Black Leopard clan unit in some rough terrain to the right of the fort, and held off a charge by both Haddabiera cavalry units. The wall was breached by Turn 4 and the Highlanders moved up to assault positions at the base of the breach.

One Highland platoon advances to the base of the breach, trades rifle fire with the defenders, and prepares to assault the breach. On the right, the massed Haddabiera cavalry attack the other Highland platoon, causing tremendous casualties before being totally destroyed by rifle fire from the Highlanders, gunfire from the RA battery, and mounted carbine fire from the Hussars, who rode all the way across the table to arrive in the nick of time.

With hopes of defeating the Anglo-Indians fading the Haddabiera launched several frenzied attacks. The cavalry attack has been mentioned already, but the Soaring Hawk clan also attacked the Indians in the village. Passing their morale test, the Indians were able to withdraw in front of the attack and lure the Soaring Hawks into a fire pocket.

The Soaring Hawks (on the oval base in the distant center) shortly before they were shot to pieces by the Punjabi infantry. In the foreground is the Indian mountain battery which is aiming at some Haddabiera reinforcements in the distance. And just visible at the bottom of the picture are the heads of some of the Hussars as they ride over to the right flank.

The procedure for the assault on the breach was for the assaulting force (in this case a platoon of Highlanders) to stop at the base of the breach and trade rifle fire with the defenders on the first turn. The second turn would see the Highlanders climb to the top of the breach where a melee would be fought with the defenders. Presuming the Highlanders won that melee, the defenders would retreat into the courtyard where a second melee would be fought. If the Highlanders won that melee then the fort would be theirs.

The Highlander 2nd Platoon assaults the breach. The Emir's banner can be seen fluttering in the courtyard. The three Highlanders facing to the right are part of the 1st platoon, while the three Haddabiera outside the fort's gate are the remnants of a Soaring Hawk clan unit that tried to reinforce the fort.

In The Sword and the Flame rules, the attacker must pass a "Charge Completion" morale roll. The British number is 18 or less on a D20. The Highlanders rolled well below that and flooded onto the breach. The defender must then pass a "Stand and Fight" moral roll. The Haddabiera were using the Pathan statistics and had to roll a 10 or less on a D20. Wanting to have a melee, I bumped the number up to a 15 or less because the Emir was with them and they were defending the tribal home fort. Unfortunately the die was against them and they rolled a 20!

The Emir and the remnants of the fort's defenders flee over the back wall, heading for the mountains further up the Vale of Khalaam, there to hide and wait for another opportunity to smite the infidels and idolaters!

The game ran very smoothly and everyone seemed to have a good time. Having it go down to a final opposed die roll (the two morale rolls) instead of just petering out as many games tend to do made it, in my mind, successful. Of course it would have been even better if there could have been a melee for the fort, but one can't have everything.

I plan on writing this scenario up in more detail and posting it on the ColonialWars and SwordFlame Yahoo groups. I'll announce on both this blog and on TMP when it is posted. I'll also make it available to any gamers who aren't on either Yahoo group with those details included as part of the announcement. One comment of note at the end of the game was a recommendation that the British and Indian artillery batteries be reduced from 3 guns and 12 gunners to 2 guns and 8 gunners each. The artillery was just too powerful in this particular scenario. This change will be incorporated into the scenario writeup.

Assault on Fort Khalaam - 2nd Play Test

On Saturday, June 20, I ran the second of two play tests of my scenario, The Assault on Fort Khalaam, that I will use during our local regional war gaming convention, Bayou Wars. This fight was slightly different from the earlier one. I had added three additional Haddabiera infantry units to the force mix. The photos below (please click for enlarged versions) document some of the fighting including the actual assault on the fort by the Highlanders.

Action on right flank as Highlanders and Hussars engage Haddabiera spearmen and artillery in the rough ground while Haddabiera cavalry attack the Hussars.

On left flank, two Bengal lancer scouts discover another Haddabiera gun while the Ghurkhas and Indian infantry are ready to engage.

And the rest of the Bengal lancers await in support.

Village of Khalaam occupied by an Indian mountain battery supported by two Indian infantry platoons.

After driving away the Haddabiera spearmen and cavalry, the Highlanders close on and capture the gun, killing the remaining crew. In the distance, the remnants of the Hussar troop attempt to pursue the fleeing Haddabiera spearmen and cavalry.

More Haddabiera appear on the left flank as the Bengal lancers, Ghurkhas, and Indian infantry advance. The two scouts are trying to overrun the Haddabiera gun after its crew was shot down, but the plucky Ivan Skavinsky Skavar pots one of the lancers with his pistol and the other rallies back to the main body.

With a tower breached and the gateway battered down, two Highland platoons assault the fort which is defended by Haddabiera riflemen, a clan leader, and the Emir. A few Haddabiera stragglers attempt to interrupt the attack but with no success.

Close-up of the two assaults. The tower was unoccupied, allowing those Highlanders to penetrate into the fort. The attack on the gateway was initially beaten back, with the attackers rallying back on the main body.

Another overview of the storming of the fort.

And yet another overview of the storming of the fort.

The last remaining Bengal lancer, a sergeant, charges some Haddabiera warriors. He defeated the three on the ground level but as he attempted to spur his mount up the hill, he was shot from the saddle. Skavar can be seen on an upper level behind the deserted gun. He was able to "draft" helpers from the tribesmen on the hill and did cause a few more Indian and Ghurkha casualties before the Haddabiera unit fled the field after suffering tremendous losses from the Indian rifle fire.

Overview of the center of the battlefield at the end of the fighting. The Indian infantry and mountain battery completely dominated this sector, shooting up all the Haddabiera who came within range, especially those who were trying to cross over to get to the fort. This is where some additional cover will be needed in the convention game.

Another overview, this time of the entire battlefield. Ivan Skavinsky Skavar is fleeing along the back of the watchtower hill. The last two Haddabiera infantry units in the center are sorely pressed by the Indians, and, in the distance, the Highlanders have taken the fort.

This was an interesting scenario to develop as I had to balance the force compositions so that both sides would have a chance of winning. With the addition of another plot of broken terrain in the center rear of the Haddabiera side of the table, the scenario should be a good one. I'll post a report of what happens at Bayou Wars sometime next week.

If you are there in New Orleans on Saturday, June 27, drop by the Radisson Hotel on Veterans Blvd in Kenner and say, "Hi!" I'll be in a yellow 1st Cavalry Division baseball cap.

Assault on Fort Khalaam - 1st Play Test

This past Saturday, May 30, we play tested the Assault on Fort Khalaam scenario that I will be using at Bayou Wars on June 27. Five of our group members helped me in this game. The following pictures (please click on them to see enlarged versions) reveal the scenary and some of the action. We will run another play test on June 20.

Rules used: The Sword and the Flame (20th Anniversary edition) by Larry Brom

Figures used were, with a few execptions, the venerable Ral Partha colonial figures, all owned and painted by Jim Pitts.

An overview of the battlefield, with Phil Young (l), Jay Stribling (c), and Bill Hamilton (r) moving and deploying troops. Not shown are Sean Pitts and Ed Sansing.

A closer look at part of the battlefield showing the left part of the Highlander battle line, the village of Khalaam (occupied by Indian troops), and the watchtower hill and the Anglo-Indian cavalry in the background.

The Fort of Khalaam, garrisoned by a unit of 20 rifle-armed Haddabiera tribesmen and the Emir and his banner bearer.

The Highland battle line with the Royal Artillery battery behind its protective wall of gabions. From this position, the guns began firing on the fort in an attempt to breech the walls.

Meanwhile, in the village of Khalaam, the action is being recorded for posterity by Nigel Bettafloss, star reporter from the London Times, and his cameraman.

Dismounted British hussars skirmish with Haddabiera riflemen on the slopes of watchtower hill. The hussars are supported by the Indian mountain battery on the left and a platoon of Ghurkhas and a troop of Bengal lancers to the right and rear.

Toward the end of the battle, the Haddabiera cavalry launches several last ditch charges. In the foreground, a band of Haddabiera attempt to close with an Indian platoon in square. The Haddabiera closed, but not before they took several casualties from Indian rifle fire. In the ensuing melee, the Indians easily drove the Haddabiera away, inflicting severe casualties.

In the background, the other Haddabiera cavalry band can be seen. Their action is portrayed in the next two pictures.

Here the second Haddabiera mounted band (being played by a band of Dervish warriors), urged on by the cavalry commander (in blue with banner), attack the Indian mountain battery.

OOOPS!

Close-in shrapnel fire killed 10 of the 12 mounted warriors, but the remaining two (the band's leader and a warrior) closed with the battery. The British field force commander and his two escorts joined in the defense of the battery.

The action was furious as the two mounted Haddabiera either killed or chased away the Indian gunners and the battery officer. Then the commander's escort engaged. The Haddabiera warrior was forced back and then one escort was killed and the other forced back by the band leader. Suddenly it was mano-a-mano between the British commander and the Haddabiera mounted band leader. But the British commander's Webley didn't fail him and he killed the Haddabiera leader, saving the situation here in the center.

At the end we staged an assault on the fort to gain some data about the best way to interpret Larry's rules. Here a Highland platoon begins to cross the breeched wall, defended by a few Haddabiera warriors and the Emir and his banner bearer.

The Highlanders assault the breech in this staged test. They could only fit three figures into the breech and two separate attempts were bloodily repulses. After some discussion and a re-reading of the rules (always a good thing), we realized some more testing would be needed. Sean and I will do that at home over the next three weeks to refine the procedures.

I gained a lot of good information and suggestions from this play test which I will incorporate into the final test.

More on Fort Khalaam

I took some more pictures of the progress on Fort Khalaam last night. As usual, please click on the pictures for larger images.

After I had a good look at the walls with the stone effect spray, I wasn't completely satisfied. So I sprayed a coat of the Krylon Ultra-Flat sand camouflage spray paint on them. I think they look much better but could still stand some more work. In this picture, you can also see the "crazing" that occurred when I sprayed the yogurt containers first with the Fusion and then the camouflage paint. I've left them this way because I think the effect enhances the feeling of weathering that a fort like this should have.

Another view of the fort from the side. I also oversprayed the hillock upon which the fort sits with the camouflage sand color so it and the fort walls seem to blend together.

Here is one of the damaged wall sections in progress. After cutting the foamcore and styrofoam down to create the breech, I cut out a piece of very thin plastic as a base for the fallen rubble. Using Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty, I built up the rubble heap and then added rocks and pebbles to give it some texture. Tonight I'll spray it with the Krylon stone effect paint and then tomorrow night with the camouflage sand paint. Later on I'll probably add some more effects to the breeches, but this will at least get me through the game on Saturday.

I also made a three tiered hill at the same time that I was making the fort's hillock. This hill will be the home of a Pressman Pirate set tower. There is a pathway that starts mid-way down the left side of the lowest level and then runs around to the front of the hill before making its ascent to the tower. The rear of the hill is almost vertical face that will be too step for anyone to ascend.

Jim

Building Fort at Khalaam - Part 1

In preparation for my Victorian Colonial game on Saturday (May 30), I have been building a fort in which the wiley Emir Tubeir can resist the Anglo-Indian punitive expedition. I've had the materials (Yoplait yogurt containers and foamcore wall sections) for a number of years but never the right incentive. That time is finally here. I've patterned the fort after the example set by Major General Tremorden Rederring on his web site: Regnad Kcin's hillfort. I've not tried to be as elaborate as the Major General at this stage. As usual, please click on each picture for a larger view. In all the pictures, the figures are Ral Partha Pathan warriors.

I used a hot wire foam cutter on the two levels of the hillock upon which the fort will be mounted. It has been the first real use of this cutter that I bought a number of years ago. It is a simple affair powered by two "D" cell batteries. But it makes a fairly neat cut and is much, much, much better than a serrated bladed steak knife.

Rising on a small hillock, the fort at Khalaam begins to take shape.

Here you can see the wall construction from the rear. A piece of foamcore and a piece of pink foam were glued together to form the wall and parapet. Circular floors have been glued into the tops of the towers. The gate is a simple archway cut from foamcore. It will eventually have doors.

The fort with all walls and towers in place.

Illustration of method used to secure the walls and towers. For the walls, toothpicks were cut and inserted into the base and then the walls were pressed down on them. With the holes in the bottoms of the walls slightly enlarged, the walls can be easily removed and replaced. For the towers, I used toothpicks as internal braces to keep the towers in place.

A close-up of the gateway and its flanking towers.

I also added damaged sections for the gateway and the other three walls.

This was done to illustrate the breeching of a wall after artillery fire. I will add rubble to both the interior and exterior of each wall section.

Here's a view of the rear of one of the damaged wall sections.

I also cut two extra towers down to be used as damaged replacements. On the left-hand damaged tower you can see the toothpick brace inside the tower. There are two more that help hold the tower in place.

I mounted the fort hillock on a slightly larger hill section, painted both with brown interior latex paint, and applied sand to give it some texture. This picture shows the fort base prior to the excess sand being shaken off.

And here are the intact wall sections after I primed and then sprayed them with Rust-Oleum brand American Accents Stone spray paint. Unfortunately I have had this can for a long time and I could never get the mixing ball to work properly so the paint came out in blobs and in pure propellant, resulting in incomplete coverage. I think this evening I will respray the walls with sand colored Krylon brand Ultra-Flat Camouflage paint. I also spray painted the plastic Yoplait containers, first with black Krylon brand Fusion paint and then with the sand camouflage paint. I must not have waited long enough for the black Fusion paint to try and that coupled with the high humidity here resulted in the sand colored second coat to exhibit a number of cracks. But that effect looked very good, adding some "authenticity" to the towers so I'll leave them alone. I didn't get pictures of them taken yet but will have them featured in Part 2.

I still have to complete the damaged wall sections and make a doorway for the entry before Saturday's first play test of this scenario. Then I'll have three weeks before the next play test to finished the fort and get the terrain work completed. Part 2 will come shortly with more pictures of the completed project.